UnitedHealth (UNH) Fair Value: $482

Q: What is UnitedHealth's fair value?

Under this scenario, UnitedHealth (UNH) has a fair entry price of $482. This is the maximum you'd pay today to achieve your 10% target return over 5 years, given the growth assumptions. Different assumptions give different results, so use the calculator to model your own scenarios.

Q: Is UNH undervalued right now?

Under these assumptions, UnitedHealth could be undervalued. The fair entry price ($482) is 36% above $354.47. If growth meets expectations, buying at $354.47 would yield 17%/yr. However, DCF doesn't predict what will happen. It shows what would need to happen for your target return. Always model multiple scenarios: optimistic, realistic, and pessimistic.

Fair value is $482 per share based on a 5-year DCF projection, 36% upside from the current price of $354.47.

Updated January 22, 2026 · Discounted Cash Flow Analysis

Current Price

$354.47

Jan 22 close

Fair Entry Price

$482

for 10% annual return

Projected Price

$727

by Jan 2031

Your CAGR

17%

if bought today

Earnings grows from $17.6B → $27.1B over 5 years (10% → 7.7% annually)
How we calculated this

Price Projection

Assumptions Behind This Projection

Metric

Earnings

Starting Growth

10%/yr

Growth Decay

5%/yr

Discount Rate

10%/yr

Projection Period

5 years

Terminal Multiple

22x

Shares Change

-2%/yr

Dividend Growth

5%/yr

Adjust Growth Rate

See how assumptions change fair value

Growth

10%

Fair Value

$482

Conservative Optimistic

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Earnings History & Projections

Historical data shows past performance. The green line projects forward from 10% growth, declining to 7.7% by year 5.

Current Earnings

$17.6B

Projected 2031

$27.1B

This projection uses Earnings. In the full calculator, you can project on 7 different metrics including EBITDA, Earnings, Operating Cash Flow, and more.

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How We Calculate Fair Value

DCF (Discounted Cash Flow) answers: "If this company keeps growing, what's the most I should pay today?"

Project future earnings

We take UnitedHealth's current Earnings ($17.6B) and compound it at 10%/yr for 5 years. Growth decays by 5% each year (high growth rarely lasts forever). This growth rate is based on historical averages, and you can adjust it in the calculator.

Estimate future stock price

The projected Earnings ($27.1B) divided by future shares (820.8M) gives us Earnings per share. Multiply by a 22x valuation multiple = $727 stock price in 2031. Plus $48.85 in dividends over 5 years.

Discount to today's value

$727 in 5 years isn't worth $727 today. We discount it back at 10%/yr (your required return). We also add the present value of expected dividends over the period. Result: $482 fair entry price. This is the most you should pay today for your target return.

The Full Calculation (for the investing nerds)

Step 1: Project Earnings

The most recent Earnings is $17.6B
We project this out 5 years with 10% initial growth and 5% decay rate
Growth decay means the growth rate shrinks each year: Year 1 grows at 10%, then the rate is multiplied by (1 - 5/100) each subsequent year
After 5 years of decaying growth, Earnings reaches $27.1B

Step 2: Project Diluted Shares Outstanding

Current shares outstanding: 908M
Shares change at -2%/yr (buybacks reduce share count)
After 5 years: 820.8M shares

Step 3: Calculate Future Stock Price

Formula: (Future Earnings ÷ Future Shares) × Price Ratio
Calculation: ($27.1B ÷ 820.8M) × 22 = $727

Step 4: Project Future Dividends

Current dividend per share: $8.84
Dividend growth rate: 5%/yr
Total dividends over 5 years: $48.85

Step 5: Discount to Present Value

Future stock price: $727 + $48.85 dividends = $776 total
Discount rate (your required return): 10%/yr
Discounting back 5 years: $482 fair value today

UNH trades at $354.47. Buying at that price would yield 17% annual return, which is above your 10% target.

Don't agree with these assumptions? That's the point. Use the calculator above to plug in your own growth rate, discount rate, and time horizon. More conservative? Lower the growth rate. Want a bigger safety margin? Increase the discount rate.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is UnitedHealth's fair value?

Under this scenario, UnitedHealth (UNH) has a fair entry price of $482. This is the maximum you'd pay today to achieve your 10% target return over 5 years, given the growth assumptions. Different assumptions give different results, so use the calculator to model your own scenarios.

Is UNH undervalued right now?

Under these assumptions, UnitedHealth could be undervalued. The fair entry price ($482) is 36% above $354.47. If growth meets expectations, buying at $354.47 would yield 17%/yr. However, DCF doesn't predict what will happen. It shows what would need to happen for your target return. Always model multiple scenarios: optimistic, realistic, and pessimistic.

Why do investors use DCF analysis?

DCF helps investors determine what a stock is truly worth based on future earnings potential, rather than relying on market sentiment or analyst opinions. It answers: "Given my expectations for this company's growth, what's the maximum price I should pay today to achieve my target return?" Value investors like Warren Buffett use DCF-style thinking to find stocks trading below their intrinsic value.

How accurate is DCF analysis?

DCF is a framework for thinking about value, not a crystal ball. Small changes in growth rate or discount rate can dramatically change the result. That's actually the point: it helps you understand how sensitive a stock's value is to different scenarios. Run bull, bear, and base cases to see the range of possibilities.

What makes Stock Unlock's calculator different?

Our calculator pre-fills the latest financials so you can adjust every assumption and project forward 1-10 years. Choose from 7 valuation metrics: Free Cash Flow, Operating Cash Flow, Earnings, EBITDA, EBIT, Operating Income, or Book Value. Up to 35 years of historical data helps inform your growth rates. The model handles share dilution/buybacks and dividends automatically. Analyze any of 130,000+ stocks across 70+ global exchanges.

What discount rate should I use?

The discount rate is your required annual return. Most individual investors use 10%, which represents the historical average stock market return. If you want higher returns (to compensate for more risk), use a higher rate like 12-15%. Lower rates (8%) give higher fair values but require less upside. The discount rate isn't about the company. It's about your minimum acceptable return.

What's the difference between fair value and price target?

Analyst price targets predict where the stock price will go (usually 12 months out). DCF fair value tells you what to pay today to achieve a specific return over time. Price targets are often influenced by market sentiment; fair value is based purely on financial projections. Both are estimates, and neither is guaranteed.

Why use Earnings instead of other metrics?

Different metrics suit different companies. We chose Earnings for UnitedHealth as the primary measure to project. Our calculator lets you switch between Free Cash Flow, Earnings, EBITDA, and other metrics to see how the choice affects fair value. Different metrics can give very different results.

Disclaimer: This is not financial advice. DCF estimates depend on assumptions that may not reflect actual performance. Do your own research. Stock Unlock is not a brokerage.

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